15  CENTS 


LIFE  IN  THE  HAREMS 


The  life  of  the  women  in  the  Harems  is  one  of  the 
most  barbarous  conditions  still  existing  in  the  East. 
Democracy  and  civilization  have  not  had  any  effect  upon 
the  slavery  of  womanhood.  The  Mohammedan  theology 
has  taken  women  from  their  proper  place  and  grouped 
them  among  the  animals  and  other  material  things. 
However,  the  new  theologians  of  Islam  believe  that  by 
keeping  hundreds  of  women  in  the  Harems  they  can 
more  easily  communicate  with  the  divine  power,  or  that 
the  divine  power  can  be  revealed  only  through  the 
Harems  as  divine  institutions.  Because  the  Moham- 
medans never  have  produced  great  critics  and  theologians 
to  understand  and  interpret  the  Bible  truthfully,  their 
beliefs  are  very  crude.  They  believe  that  woman  is  a 
secondary  creation  of  God,  taken  from  the  rib  of  man,  a 
material  object  created  just  as  the  rest  of  the  other 
animals,  only  for  the  help  and  pleasure  of  man.  There- 
fore, man  can  do  whatever  he  pleases  with  her. 

I have  been  asked  several  times  by  the  Americans  and 
other  people, — “What  is  a Harem?  Why  do  Turks  have  so 
many  wives?  How  do  all  these  women  live  together?”  I 
have  always  hesitated  to  tell  them  the  horrible  treatment 
and  blood-curdling  punishments  suffered  by  the  women 
of  my  country.  Then,  too,  I have  not  wanted  to  condemn 
my  own  people  and  my  own  country,  but  I now  think  that 
the  only  way  to  save  the  Eastern  women  from  slavery  is 
to  let  the  people  of  the  civilized  world,  especially  the 
women,  know  their  awful  sufferings,  in  order  that  the 
enlightened  women  may  be  able  to  do  something  for  their 
benighted  sisters  of  the  East.  The  majority  of  Americans 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Harems  are  places  where  the 
women  dress  beautifully  and  enjoy  every  manner  of 
pleasure.  This  is  true  in  some  of  the  rich  Harems,  where 
the  women  can  satisfy  their  every  desire  for  food  and 


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dress,  but  not  so  in  the  less  wealthy  ones.  On  the  other 
hand,  all  women,  both  rich  and  poor,  have  to  suffer  hor- 
rible tortures  at  the  hands  of  the  cruel  Eunuchs.  Every 
day  women  are  beaten  to  death  and  frequently  heated 
irons  are  thrust  into  their  bodies  by  the  Eunuchs,  who  for 
sundry  reasons  are  womanhood’s  bitterest  enemies. 
These  poor  women  have  no  freedom ; sometimes  as  many 
as  300  or  more  are  married  to  one  man.  Americans 
should  realize  this  part  of  their  lives  as  well  as  their  danc- 
ing and  high  life  in  the  Harems. 

Several  years  ago  I came  from  the  interior  of  the 
Turkish  Empire  to  study  at  Constantinople,  the  only 
great  center  of  education,  and  really  the  only  great  place 
of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  I spent  most  of  my  time  or 
holidays  in  walking  and  seeing  what  was  once  the  capital 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  the  chief  religious  and  politi- 
cal center  of  both  the  East  and  the  West,  but  which  has 
been  ruined  by  the  Eastern  hordes.  This  city  is  like  a 
paradise  to  the  Eastern  people  compared  with  the  other 
dirty  cities  of  the  empire.  The  Mohammedans  look 
upon  the  city  as  a new  heaven.  In  the  eyes  of  the  Turks 
it  is  the  most  holy  place,  the  only  vantage  point  from 
which  a decisive  victory  might  possibly  be  won  over 
Europe  in  the  future.  The  natural  location  and  en- 
vironment of  the  city  is  wonderful  with  its  beautiful  hills 
and  outlook  over  the  sea  of  Marmora.  While  I was  walk- 
ing in  the  different  parts  of  the  city  with  my  friends  I 
saw  large  buildings  everywhere.  I was  told  that  these 
were  Harems.  Thty  were  really  no  novelty  to  me  be- 
cause I had  seen  Harems  in  the  other  cities,  but  not  as 
large  as  these  at  the  capital.  A thing  which  surprised 
me  was  the  great  number  of  “Mosques.”  When  one  looks 
out  of  the  metropolis  from  the  hills  of  the  higher  part  of 
the  city,  he  sees  the  spires  of  the  minarets  so  dense  that 
they  resemble  a forest.  Before  coming  to  the  capital  I 
had  heard  about  its  beauty  and  its  wonderful  civiliza- 
tion, but  after  I had  stayed  there  a while  I found  that 
this  great  capital  and  holy  city  of  the  empire  was  nothing 


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but  a center  of  corruption,  slavery  and  all  kinds  of  cruel- 
ties and  bloodshed. 

I had  quarters  most  of  the  time  in  the  Mohammedan 
section  of  the  city.  When  I went  across  the  bridge  over 
the  “Golden  Horn”  to  “Para”  where  the  Europeans  and 
Greeks  live  I saw  new  sights.  There  the  women  go  about 
with  their  faces  uncovered,  men  and  women  talk  to- 
gether. All  this  was  new  to  me,  and  it  surprised  me 
greatly.  But  the  most  significant  thing  to  me  was  coming 
to  know  the  life  of  the  women  in  the  Turkish  Harems, 
and  what  the  supposed  great  dignity  of  Mohammedan 
women  really  amounted  to,  and  to  learn  the  purpose  of  a 
man  having  so  many  wives. 

I made  many  friends  among  the  Mohammedans  in 
Constantinople.  There  was  not  one  that  I did  not  ques- 
tion about  the  Harems,  but  all  they  told  me  was  just  what 
I had  seen  and  heard — “Harems  are  divine  institutions.” 
One  Friday  evening  I was  watching  the  imperial  Harem 
at  “Dulma  Bagcha.”  There  was  a long  procession  of  car- 
riages all  filled  with  women.  They  were  watching  for  the 
big  crowd  of  men  and  women  who  were  waiting  for  the 
procession,  but  they  were  only  using  one  eye  and  the  rest 
of  their  faces  were  covered  with  a black  cloth  which  flowed 
down  over  the  whole  body.  A small  piece  of  white  cloth 
hung  down  from  their  mouths.  One  hardly  knew  what 
to  look  at  first.  The  beautiful  carriages  were  draped 
with  cloths  embroidered  in  gold  and  were  drawn  by 
handsome  horses  adorned  in  the  Oriental  fashion.  The 
great  procession  was  both  civic  and  military.  I had  a 
particular  friend  among  the  mob,  by  name  Nazim,  who 
always  thought  that  I was  a Moslem.  “Don’t  be  sur- 
prised when  you  see  the  Yildiz  Kaioshk,”  he  said.  “The 
palace  of  the  Sultan  Hamid  is  the  greatest  Harem  in 
the  world.  There  are  550  women  in  the  building.”  I 
asked  Nazim  what  was  the  reason  for  a man’s  having  so 
many  women.  “They  are  the  Sultan’s,  sir.  He  must 
have  them  in  order  to  be  a Sultan.  This  is  a holy  place, 
where  all  of  us  receive  the  benefit  of  the  prayers  of  his 


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divine  majesty,  the  Sultan,  and  where  the  holy  spirits 
live,  who  are  the  guides  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.”  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  tell  me  what  the  women  do  there, 
that  I might  tell  my  people  about  them  when  I go  home 
from  the  capital.  “Yes,  I can  tell  you  more,”  he  said, 
“For  instance  the  Sultan  marries  a very  young  girl  every 
Friday,  but  if  you  want  to  know  a good  deal  more,  I will 
take  you  to  a cafe,  where  you  can  meet  a Eunuch,  who 
has  served  twenty-five  years  in  the  Sultan’s  Harem, 
but  is  now  on  pension.  He  comes  frequently  to  the  cafe, 
and  he  will  tell  you  all  you  want  to  know.”  I went  with 
Nazim  to  the  cafe  in  the  section  of  the  city  named 
“Daftardar,”  not  very  far  from  the  German  and 
Italian  hospitals.  Before  entering  the  cafe  Nazim  told 
me  to  bow  down  and  salute  the  old  Eunuch,  when  I came 
into  his  presence.  I took  off  my  shoes  at  the  entrance  of 
the  cafe,  and  went  to  the  front  where  the  Eunuch  was 
sitting  and  smoking  a “Nargella”  (water  pipe).  I bowed 
down  to  him  three  times  and  saluted  him  in  Turkish.  He 
received  my  salutation  and  showed  me  a seat.  For  several 
minutes  he  looked  into  my  face  very  sharply  then  he 
asked  me  if  I smoked.  It  was  a great  surprise  to  me  to 
see  an  Egyptian  Eunuch  so  honored  by  the  Turks  and  the 
Persians  as  he  was.  Whenever  he  said  anything  every 
man  in  the  cafe  kept  silent.  They  were  bringing  to  him 
coffee  and  a water  pipe  one  after  another.  Nazim  told 
him  that  I had  come  from  a far  city  of  Mesopatamia  and 
that  I was  a Moslem  Arab.  The  old  Eunuch,  smiling, 
looked  into  my  face  and  said,  “Can  you  speak  Arabic?” 
“Yes,  sir,”  I replied,  “But  not  the  same  Arabic  you  speak 
in  Egypt.”  Of  course  the  Syriac  and  Arabic  tongues 
are  very  much  alike.  I knew  enough  Arabic  to  carry  on  a 
conversation.  He  read  me  several  passages  from  Koran, 
and  I understood  most  of  the  words,  because  they  were 
very  much  like  the  Syriac.  Every  Turk  in  the  cafe  was 
surprised  that  I was  able  to  understand  the  words  of 
the  “Holy  Scripture,”  and  they  told  me  that  I could  easily 
become  a shaik,  if  I would  continue  studying  the  Holy 


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Book.  After  a while  Nazim  told  the  Eunuch  that  I had 
been  surprised  when  I saw  the  great  Harems  of  the 
captial.  “Don’t  be  surprised,”  he  said  to  me,  “You  will 
see  more  and  more;  this  is  the  great  capital.”  I asked 
him,  “Sir,  can  you  tell  me  how  these  women  all  live 
together,  that  I may  tell  the  people  when  I go  back  home  ?” 
“We  have  very  small  Harems  containing  from  20  to  30 
women  each,  but  they  always  fight  and  kill  one  another.” 
He  answered,  smiling,  “Well,  sir,  here  the  women  in  the 
Harems  never  fight.  They  are  just  as  sisters  to  one 
another.”  I was  greatly  surprised  when  I heard  this 
about  the  life  of  the  women  at  Constantinople.  This 
Eunuch  had  worked  for  25  years  in  the  Sultan’s  Harem, 
as  I said  before,  and  he  told  me  much  about  the  life  and 
treatment  of  the  women.  The  women  are  brought  from 
all  parts  of  the  empire.  Many  of  them  are  sent  by  the 
governors  and  shaiks  to  the  Sultan.  Many  of  them  are 
daughters  of  the  great  men,  and  of  the  best  families  in 
the  empire.  Some  are  from  foreign  countries  and  of 
nearly  all  nationalities,  but  the  majority  of  them  are 
Charks  and  Roumanians.  The  newcomers  are  all  very 
young  from  7 to  16,  and  occasionally  20  years  of  age. 
They  come  daily  into  the  Harems.  They  have  to  stay  a 
long  time  before  they  are  addmitted  into  the  Proper 
Harem.  All  the  young  girls  who  are  awaiting  examina- 
tion are  tied  up,  sometimes  even  their  mouths.  They  are 
very  much  frightened ; they  think  that  they  are  going  to 
be  killed.  After  the  examination  they  are  taken  first  to 
the  Proper  Harem  which  is  between  the  small  and  the 
great  Harem.  The  door  of  this  Harem  is  not  known  to 
anybody  in  the  Palace.  When  the  Sultan  gives  orders 
to  meet  the  newcomers,  the  Eunuchs  take  the  girls  with 
them  to  the  reception  rooms,  which  are  wonderfully 
decorated  and  furnished  with  fancy  things.  When  all 
are  assembled  the  Sultan  leads  them  out  by  a secret  door, 
and  after  a little  while  they  find  themselves  in  the  Proper 
Harem;  however,  they  never  know  how  they  got  there. 
No  one  can  return  from  the  reception  rooms  until  the 


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Sultan  leads  them  back.  All  this  is  of  “Allah”  (God)  to 
them ; they  cannot  understand  the  great  mystery.  After 
several  days  the  girls  are  taken  and  put  in  the  small 
Harem.  There  some  of  them  may  be  given  to  the  guests 
at  the  Palace.  Those  so  given  must  be  discharged  im- 
mediately at  the  departure  of  the  guests.  At  the  small 
Harem  the  women  are  examined  again.  The  examina- 
tions usually  are  held  on  Thursdays  and  are  carried  on 
by  several  medical  doctors  and  three  or  four  “Doctors 
of  Slavery”  (Cadi).  Those  found  fit  are  taken  to  the 
great  Harem  and  the  others  are  discharged  or  given  to 
the  officers  of  the  Palace  or  the  army.  In  the  great 
Harem  the  women  are  divided  into  sections  and  placed 
under  the  charge  of  Eunuchs.  Women  who  have  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-five  are  put  out  and  placed  under  the 
order  of  the  “Doctor  of  Slavery”  or  else  given  way  as  pres- 
ents for  the  heroes.  Their  rooms  are  given  to  the  new- 
comers. The  “Doctor  of  Slavery”  sells  the  discharged 
women  for  a great  price  and  uses  the  money  thus  procured 
for  the  same  line  of  work,  to  supply  women  for  the  religi- 
ous authorities,  and  other  imperial  Harems.  The  people 
are  willing  to  pay  great  prices  for  the  women  from  the 
Eunuchs  because  they  believe  that  a woman  who  comes 
out  of  the  Sultan’s  Harem,  is  holy. 

Sometimes  before  the  girls  are  placed  under  the  order 
of  the  “Doctor  of  Slavery”  they  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
servants  of  the  Palace  and  are  badly  treated.  They  are 
stolen  and  carried  away  at  night  in  bags  to  be  sold  for 
little  money.  The  Eunuchs  have  a very  hard  time  with 
the  young  girls.  They  are  always  crying  for  their 
mothers  and  pulling  at  their  hair.  Therefore,  they  tie 
them  sometimes  for  several  days.  If  that  does  not  help 
the  Eunuch  takes  one  of  them  and  tortures  her  before 
the  eyes  of  the  others,  and  that  causes  them  to  be  quiet. 
The  Eunuch  must  be  very  careful  about  them  because 
they  may  scratch  their  faces  and  so  be  prevented  from 
passing  the  examinations.  Prayers  are  conducted  every 
day  by  the  “Doctor  of  Slavery”  or  other  religious  officers 


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in  the  Harem.  Great  diligence  is  required  of  the  women  in 
their  religion. 

The  Christian  girls  are  treated  a little  differently 
from  the  others.  At  first  they  are  taught  religion  for 
several  days  by  the  “Doctor  of  Slavery.”  Before  the  exam- 
inations one  or  two  are  tortured  to  help  the  “Doctor  of 
Slavery”  to  convert  the  others.  After  they  accept  Mo- 
hammed they  are  put  under  a large  basket  and  rebaptized 
in  a way  that  cannot  be  described  in  print.  But  there  is 
some  little  feeling  against  the  Christian  women  in  the 
Harems,  because  most  of  the  favorites  of  the  Sultan  are 
Christians  or  have  been.  The  women  are  all  friendly  with 
each  other,  always  trying  to  help  one  another  in  many 
ways.  At  certain  times  daily  all  the  women  are  stripped 
of  their  clothing  and  strapped  in  a position  of  excruciat- 
ing pain  and  humiliation  and  taken  out  as  victims  of  the 
bestial  passions  of  their  cruel  masters.  Those  who  resist 
and  fight  against  being  tied  are  punished  severely  by  the 
cruel  Eunuchs.  Their  bodies  sometimes  are  black  and 
blue  from  the  beatings  which  they  receive  at  the  hands  of 
the  Eunuchs. 

At  one  certain  time  a rule  was  passed  in  the  Harem 
that  no  women  could  talk  together.  The  meeting  together 
of  women  is  always  suspected  by  the  Eunuchs  of  being  a 
plot  against  the  Sultan’s  life.  The  Sultan  is  afraid  of 
the  women,  and  when  he  meets  them  he  is  always  accom- 
panied by  some  servants.  Several  times  there  have  been 
attempts  against  the  life  of  the  Sultan.  Therefore,  he 
puts  to  death  anyone  he  suspects  even  if  she  is  innocent. 
It  once  happened  that  one  of  his  favorite  daughters 
entered  his  chamber  and  he  became  so  afraid  that  he  shot 
and  killed  her  immediately. 

The  women  of  the  Sultan’s  Harem  all  dress  very 
well  and  are  fed  finely.  They  have  all  kind  of  oils  with 
which  to  anoint  themselves.  There  is  no  work  done  in 
the  Harems  except  a little  needlewdrk,  such  as  embroider- 
ing the  clothes  and  silken  things.  No  reading  is  allowed 
and  no  mail  is  received  or  dispatched  from  the  Harem. 


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The  women  spend  most  of  their  time  swimming  in  the 
presence  of  the  Sultan,  in  pools  constructed  in  the  Harems 
for  that  purpose.  Some  few  games  are  played  in  the 
Harems,  as  cards,  but  these  are  the  only  ways  the  women 
have  of  filling  their  time. 

The  chief  food  of  the  Sultan  is  two  sheep  a day,  a 
most  striking  diet.  The  sheep  are  prepared  in  a very 
mysterious  way.  The  cook  takes  all  the  meat  and  fat 
from  the  bones  and  boils  it  until  all  its  strength  has  gone 
into  the  water.  Then  he  mixes  some  preparation  with 
the  broth,  the  formula  of  which  is  unknown  to  all  except 
the  cook  and  the  Sultan.  The  formula  for  this  prepara- 
tion has  been  kept  a secret  for  generations.  The  broth  is 
then  condensed  to  a concentrated  form,  of  which  the 
Sultan  drinks  twice  a day.  The  boiled  meat  is  given  to 
the  servants  ^f  the  Palace  or  to  the  Harems.  Occasion- 
ally it  is  sent  to  some  of  the  schools  of  the  “Ulema”  for 
the  use  of  those  who  study  under  the  “Society  of  Charity.” 
The  Sultan  always  eats  alone  in  his  own  chamber.  The 
food  is  brought  to  him  by  one  who  is  the  member  of  the 
imperial  family.  And  is  tasted  by  a personal  friend  of 
the  Sultan,  after  having  already  been  tasted  by  both  the 
cook  and  the  head  of  the  household.  Even  a cup  of  tea 
or  coffee  must  be  tasted  in  the  Sultan’s  presence.  The 
poisoning  of  the  food  has  long  been  the  way  of  disposing 
of  one’s  enemies  or  rivals  in  the  East.  Therefore,  the 
Sultan  is  always  careful  about  his  food. 

The  Sultan  sleeps  in  various  rooms.  No  one 
knows  where  he  is  sleeping.  He  orders  a certain  number 
prepared  for  him  but  never  sleeps  in  them.  All  the  rooms 
are  furnished  so  much  alike  that  one  can  scarely  tell  the 
difference  between  them.  The  entrance  to  the  rooms  is 
also  a mystery.  Bells  and  other  contrivances  are  ar- 
ranged so  that  if  anyone  enters  the  room  he  will  think 
that  the  Sultan  is  sleeping  there,  when  in  reality  he  is 
not.  His  clothes  and  all  others  of  his  things  may  be 
there  but  he  is  not.  No  man  is  allowed  to  awaken  him. 
At  10  or  11  o’clock  in  the  morning  the  “Doctor  of  Slavery” 


9 


or  some  appointed  shaik  who  are  in  charge  of  the  palace, 
go  near  the  rooms  where  the  Sultan  is  supposed  to  be 
sleeping  and  pray  outside  each  door  until  the  ruler 
finally  awakes.  When  prayers  are  conducted  in  the 
Harem,  the  Sultan  is  not  always  present,  but  all  the  other 
male  residents  of  the  palace  must  be  in  attendance.  All 
are  praying  for  the  Sultan.  The  regular  prayers  of  the 
Sultan  are  those  held  only  on  Friday.  He  goes  with  a 
great  procession  to  the  Mosque  of  “Ayob”  when  the 
ceremony  of  worship  is  held.  After  the  prayers  a girl  is 
given  to  him  as  the  present  of  the  whole  nation,  and  as 
significant  of  God’s  having  received  his  prayers  and  re- 
warded him.  The  girls  who  are  given  on  the  Friday  stay 
at  the  “Kochook  Mabin”  or  regular  Harem  which  is  only 
a part  of  the  small  Harem.  These  girls  are  treated  very 
well,  as  many  of  them  are  of  high  birth.  When  discharged 
they  are  given  as  presents  to  the  highest  authorities  of 
the  Mohammedan  religion.  This  is  the  Sultan’s  method 
of  solving  the  problem  of  the  Harems,  the  great  number 
of  Eunuchs,  and  the  servants  of  the  palace.  Thus  it  is 
that  he  can  scarcely  find  time  to  deal  with  the  govern- 
mental affairs  of  the  nation. 

Other  noted  Harems  are  those  of  the  heads  of  the 
government  and  of  religious  authorities.  These  Harems 
are  not  very  large  but  still  they  lack  order  and  good 
management.  Fighting  is  going  on  continually  among 
the  women.  There  is  great  jealousy  among  them,  es- 
pecially when  some  of  them  have  children  and  some  have 
not.  The  women  kill  the  children  of  one  another  by 
giving  them  poison.  The  poo^  husband,  who  is  very  busy 
with  the  religious  works  or  with  affairs  of  the  govern- 
ment, does  not  know  what  to  do.  When  he  enters  his 
house  he  hears  the  sounds  of  fighting  and  crying.  Every 
one  will  come  and  complain  to  him  that  the  other  women 
have  treated  her  badly  and  not  given  her  enough  food,  or 
that  they  have  beaten  her  small  child.  He  does  not  know 
what  to  do,  or  which  one  to  believe,  as  every  one  is  swear- 
ing by  “Allah”  that  her  story  is  true.  The  reason  for  the 


10 


fighting  in  these  Harems  is  the  shortage  of  Eunuchs. 
Even  in  some  of  the  small  Harems  where  there  are  5 or  6 
women  the  Eunuchs  are  not  allowed  to  punish  the  women, 
or  to  torture  them  as  they  do  in  the  large  Harems.  When 
the  punishment  is  administered  the  Eunuchs  only  help 
their  master  while  he  is  punishing  the  women.  The 
punishment  is  very  severe,  of  such  a character  that  it 
cannot  be  described  in  words.  The  women  become  un- 
conscious and  blood  can  be  seen  running  from  different 
parts  of  their  bodies.  Their  beautiful,  long,  heavy  hair  is 
frequently  pulled  out  when  they  are  dragged  about. 

I shall  never  forget  a punishment  inflicted  upon  a 
woman  in  a sheikh’s  Harem,  in  Kurdistan,  while  I was 
present  at  his  house.  In  my  journey  from  Kudshanis  to 
Van  (Armenia)  I had  to  stop  in  this  sheikh’s  house,  and 
beg  him  to  give  me  a man  to  take  me  to  “Bashkalah,” 
The  old  sheikh  was  in  his  summer  tents,  living  in  the 
mountains  not  very  far  from  the  city  of  Bashkalah.  He 
received  us,  both  me  and  a Jew  who  was  traveling  with 
me  on  the  same  way,  and  gave  us  a warm  welcome  in  his 
house  such  as  I had  never  expected  from  a Kurd ; no,  not 
even  from  a Christian  of  my  own  town.  A Kurd  is  very 
cruel,  but  still  he  sacrifices  everything  for  his  guests.  He 
believes  that  such  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  his  guests. 
But  after  his  guest  is  21  yards  from  his  house  he  can 
murder  him  if  he  cares  to  and  there  is  no  sin  involved. 
At  this  sheikh’s  abode  we  were  put  in  the  best  tent, 
given  the  best  food,  and  kept  with  a group  of  Kurds 
around  the  big  fire,  which  was  used  for  lighting  the  tents. 
The  men  and  women  of  this  summer  community  all 
looked  upon  that  particular  sheikh  as  a saint.  Every 
man  who  came  near  the  fire  bowed  down  before  him. 
Then  the  sheikh  showed  him  a place  to  sit.  The  sheikh’s 
teeth  were  paining  him  severely ; so,  all  of  us  sat  with  him 
until  10  o’clock  at  night.  For  the  Kurds  this  was  a very 
late  hour,  for  they  usually  retire  at  6 o’clock  or  earlier. 
At  10  most  of  the  men  went  to  their  tents,  and  left  only 
a few  of  us,  who  were  the  guests,  and  a “Durvish”  who 


11 


had  come  from  a far  place  to  pray  for  sheikh  that  his 
tooth  might  be  healed.  The  Durvish  and  we  were  sleeping 
in  one  tent  and  the  sheikh  was  in  the  one  next  to  ours.  I 
could  not  sleep  at  all,  for  from  one  side  came  the  cries  of 
the  sheikh  in  the  anguish  of  his  toothache  and  from  the 
other  the  mumbles  of  the  Durvish,  who  was  praying  all 
night  and  watching  to  see  if  the  Jew  was  sleeping  that  he 
might  have  an  opportunity  to  steal  his  goods.  The  Jew, 
however,  was  very  careful.  He  put  his  goods  near  his  head, 
and  the  Durvish  was  not  able  to  do  anything.  The  Durvish 
tried  several  times  to  get  my  shoes  from  my  feet  but  I 
awoke  each  time.  He  would  then  immediately  take  a 
small  book  in  his  hands  and  start  to  pray.  He  tried  again 
and  again  but  he  could  not  pull  the  shoes  off  of  my  feet 
because  he  did  not  know  how  to  loosen  them.  Then  he  saw 
his  efforts  were  in  vain  and  that  he  could  not  steal  any- 
thing from  us,  so  he  went  around  to  the  other  side  of  the 
fire  and  slept.  At  about  3 A.  M.  a child  started  to  cry. 
The  sheikh  called  the  mother  by  her  name,  but  she  was  so 
sound  asleep  that  she  did  not  awaken  at  his  call.  He 
went  to  her  and  dragged  her  out  of  her  bed  by  her  hair, 
together  with  her  two  children.  He  then  threw  her  out 
of  the  tent.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly  and  I 
could  see  her  plainly  from  where  I was  lying.  He  raised 
her  head  and  dropped  it  against  a big  stone  in  front  of 
the  tent.  The  poor  young  woman  screamed  horribly. 
Blood  came  streaming  from  her  head.  The  sheikh  was 
not  satisfied  with  this  but  took  a kind  of  rough  club  and 
beat  her  with  it  until  the  blood  was  trickling  from  all 
parts  of  her  body.  She  fell  as  dead,  unconscious,  in  front 
of  the  tent.  I was  looking  at  her  from  my  tent,  but  I 
could  not  dare  to  help  her  or  to  say  anything  regarding 
her.  The  sheikh  went  to  his  tent  and  slept,  leaving  the 
poor  woman  to  suffer  outside,  naked  and  wounded.  I was 
deeply  hurt  to  see  a woman  treated  so  cruelly.  I awoke 
the  Durvish  and  told  him  to  go  and  help  her,  for  he,  being 
a religious  man,  was  the  only  one  who  could  go  near  a 
woman  who  was  not  his  own  wife.  When  he  opened  his 


12 


eyes  and  looked  up  at  the  stars,  he  said  that  he  had 
missed  one  of  his  prayers.  He  asked  me  to  get  water 
quickly.  I thought  he  would  use  it  to  help  the  woman, 
but  instead  he  sat  down  and  started  to  wash  his  feet  and 
to  have  prayers.  “Please,  Durvish,  leave  your  prayer  and 
help  this  poor  woman,”  the  Jew  cried.  “Don’t  you  know 
that  I cannot  touch  a woman  without  having  my  ‘Dasna- 
vish’  (Ceremony)  done?”  he  replied.  After  the  usual  long 
prayer  of  the  Durvishes  he  went  near  the  woman,  and 
took  his  coat  and  threw  over  her,  and  carried  her  into 
the  tent.  No  sound  issued  from  her  mouth.  When  I 
looked  at  her  face  all  besmirched  with  blood,  and  saw 
blood  running  from  various  parts  of  her  body,  I could 
not  restrain  my  tears.  It  was  awful  to  see  a woman  so 
badly  treated,  and  that  by  a religious  authority.  About  6 
o’clock  in  the  morning  every  woman  in  the  community 
got  up  to  work,  and  the  men  to  lead  the  sheep  to  the 
mountains  for  pasture.  The  Durvish  got  up  early  and  went 
to  the  sheikh’s  tent  to  pray  there.  The  Sheikh  awoke  also, 
washed  his  feet,  and  started  to  pray  with  the  Durvish. 
After  the  prayers  the  Durvish  took  the  water  with  which 
sheikh  had  washed  his  feet  and  prayed  over  it.  Then  he 
gave  it  to  the  wounded  woman,  and  tQ  some  others  in  the 
community.  The  poor  maltreated  woman  died  a little 
later  in  the  day  in  the  midst  of  child-birth. 

We  had  breakfast  at  7.30  and  then  departed  to 
Bashkalah.  While  we  were  passing  beside  a field,  a very 
pretty  woman  came  out  to  us.  “I  put  myself  under  God’s 
mercy  and  then  under  yours,”  she  cried.  “Help  me  to 
get  to  Van.  I have  been  kidnaped  from  my  husband, 
by  these  cruel  Kurds.  You  cannot  imagine  what  human 
beasts  they  are.  I am  a Christian  as  you  are,”  she  cried, 
with  tears  filling  her  eyes.  She  took  her  veil  and  made  a 
cross  in  her  face  to  make  me  believe  that  she  was  a Chris- 
tian. I put  her  at  the  back  of  my  horse  and  promised 
her  that  I would  get  her  to  Van  even  if  I myself  should 
be  murdered  by  Kurds  who  might  come  after  us  to 
search  for  her.  She  told  me  her  long  story  and  about  her 


13 


education  in  the  Roman  Catholic  nunnery  in  Georgia 
Caucasus.  She  answered  every  question  I put  to  her 
about  the  Bible,  and  she  spoke  many  languages.  She 
covered  her  face  every  time  we  met  any  Kurds  along  the 
way  and  went  with  me  all  the  way  to  Van.  The  woman 
of  the  Harems  in  Kurdistan  are  treated  very  cruelly,  and 
this  is  so  mainly  because  the  Kurds  had  never  adopted 
any  sort  of  civilization.  A Kurdish  sheikh  will  travel 
through  the  towns  and  watch  for  pretty  girls.  When  he 
meets  one,  if  he  wants  her,  he  will  ask  for  her.  If  she 
refuses  to  come  he  will  put  her  to  death.  At  times  before 
his  arrival  in  the  town  some  girls  are  prepared  for  him. 

Harems  are  considered  divine  institutions  by  all  the 
Mohammedans.  Men  take  oaths  to  the  truth  of  their 
testimony  by  the  Harem  and  if  the  oath  proves  false  all 
his  wives  are  divorced  from  him.  In  Kurdistan  Harems 
the  women  have  more  freedom  than  those  in  the  other 
parts  of  the  empire.  Some  of  these  women  become  very 
powerful,  and  have  great  influence  over  the  country  after 
the  death  of  their  husbands.  When  a sheikh  or  other 
religious  leader  dies,  if  he  has  no  son  his  mother  or  his 
first  wife  takes  the  office.  Many  of  these  women  have  a 
great  capacity  for  administration,  and  they  are  very 
tolerant  toward  their  subjects.  Their  court  is  composed 
of  servants  and  the  elders  of  the  towns,  but  the  absolute 
power  is  in  the  hand  of  the  woman.  She  can  put  men  and 
women  to  death  at  any  time  she  pleases  without  any 
trial.  This  kind  of  women  when  they  die  become  saints. 
Many  of  them  would  be  buried  beside  the  roads  where 
the  clan  could  stop  and  visit  their  graves  while  they  are 
traveling  from  place  to  place  in  the  summer  time.  Women 
will  gather  around  the  grave  to  weep  and  in  a 
short  time  the  grave  will  be  covered  with  their  hair  and 
the  stone  will  be  watered  with  their  tears.  In  the  tomb 
there  is  a big  jar  full  of  water  from  which  the  thirsty 
travelers  might  drink  and  pray  at  the  same  time  to  the 
saint. 

The  Harem  system  developed  from  the  ancient  cus- 


14 


toms  of  the  Oriental  monarchy.  As  soon  as  Moham- 
medanism came  in  everything  was  changed.  The  last 
victory  of  Islam  and  overthrow  of  the  Roman  and  Per- 
sian empires,  the  civil  power  was  crushed  forever, 
and  religion  became  the  only  center  of  authority.  The 
great  “Califs”  of  the  Arabian  empire  were  not  emperors 
but  were  only  supreme  heads  of  the  Moslem  religion, 
endowed  with  divine  power  to  exercise  their  spiritual  and 
temporal  function.  The  Harem  practice  crept  into  the 
religion,  and  became  the  only  qualification  for  a higher 
office.  The  number  of  wives  in  some  of  the  Harems  was 
over  a thousand.  It  was  at  this  time,  after  the 
conquest  of  Persia,  that  the  Mohammedans  got  their  dis- 
coveries in  heaven,  “A  heaven  full  of  beautiful  fat  women, 
with  long  hair  and  black  eyes,  waiting  for  those  who 
would  become  Moslems.”  They  got  this  idea  from  the 
ancient  Persian  religion,  and  this  brought  a rapid  con- 
quest of  the  larger  part  of  the  world.  Those  who  die  in 
religious  war  are  promised  a large  Harem  of  300  wives. 

As  soon  as  Turkey  came  into  contact  with  European 
powers  the  number  of  women  was  reduced  to  not  over 
600  and  not  less  than  300.  In  1907  the  Sultan  was 
deposed,  and  the  great  Harem  with  its  number  of  550 
women  was  closed,  and  the  former  Sultan  was  allowed  to 
maintain  his  spiritual  power  with  only  30  wives.  When 
the  new  Sultan  came  to  the  throne  he  was  an  old  man 
who  had  spent  most  of  his  life  in  prison  under  the  cruel 
rule  of  his  own  brother.  The  new  Sultan  refused  to 
maintain  a Harem  similar  to  that  of  his  brother,  on  ac- 
count of  his  age  and  being  tired  of  life.  The  number 
was  largely  reduced.  The  Sultan  even  neglected  to  marry 
every  Friday  according  to  the  custom.  The  old  Turkish 
party  denounced  him,  saying  “How  on  earth  can  a Sultan 
exercise  his  functions  with  such  limited  Harem?”  They 
also  prophesied  that  his  reign  marked  the  decline  of  the 
Ottoman  empire,  and  this  came  true  because  he  lost  every 
war  that  he  went  into. 


15 


On  the  other  hand,  there  are  other  Mohammedans 
who  have  realized  the  danger  of  such  immoral  customs, 
and  their  effect  upon  Eastern  civilization,  and  upon 
Turkish  foreign  policy. 

There  are  at  present  about  500,000  Armenian  girls 
in  the  Harems.  They  are  treated  in  the  most  shameful 
manner  and  brutal  torture.  One  must  not  forget  that 
millions  of  Mohammedan  women  suffer  the  same  treat- 
ment and  abuses ; which  they  have  endured  for  centuries. 
The  voices  of  these  Moslem  sisters  have  not  been  heard 
beyond  the  walled  cities  of  the  Turkish  empire. 

It  may  seem  surprising,  yet  nevertheless  it  is  true 
that  there  are  Mohammedans  who  are  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  slavery,  and  who  are  in  favor  of  a reformation,  but 
it  has  been  very  hard  to  get  leadership.  The  standard  of 
the  Mohammedan  religion  is  as  that  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  the  middle  ages.  There  are  only  a few  who 
understand  the  teaching  of  the  prophet,  and  they  never 
teach  any  of  it  except  the  bad  side.  The  teaching  of 
Mohamet  is  very  far  from  that  practiced  by  the  Turk.  In 
i-eading  the  Koran  one  finds  many  good  things  as  well  as 
in  the  teachings  of  other  religious  teachers. 

The  first  thing  that  Mohammedans  need  is  a knowl- 
edge of  the  teachings  of  Mohamet,  then  to  be  led  to  a 
higher  moral  standard.  It  is  very  foolish  to  try  to 
convert  Mohammedans  to  so-called  Christian  doctrines, 
the  doctrines  of  the  medieval  church,  which  are  not  much 
better  in  form  or  belief  from  those  practiced  and  held  by 
them  at  present.  Such  Christian  doctrines  manufactured 
in  the  Middle  Ages  never  will  be  agreeable  to  the  Oriental 
mind,  especially  to  the  Semetic  Type  of  Oriental. 


16 


For  nearly  seventy  years  Christian  missionaries  have  labored 
in  the  near-East,  without  being  successful  in  winning  Mohamme- 
dans to  Christ.  However,  the  native  Christians  never  have  made 
any  effort  to  convert  their  cruel  oppressors,  aside  from  arguing 
with  them  on  theological  matters,  endeavoring  to  make  them  accept 
the  mystical  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  which  is  difficult  even  for 
Christians  to  comprehend.  It  is  true,  once  a Turk  said,  “We  have 
enough  trouble  with  having  one  God,  then  what  would  happen  if 
we  accept  two  more  Gods;  that  means  more  bloodshed.”  The  sim- 
ple living,  vital  truths  of  Christianity,  are  what  these  people  need. 

So  long  as  Mohammedan  womanhood  is  depraved  and  held  in 
bondage,  any  moral  or  spiritual  reformation  is  impossible.  “A  na- 
tion can  never  rise  above  the  standard  set  by  its  womanhood.” 
Moreover,  we  believe  that  if  Turkish  women  only  knew  that  their 
sisters  of  other  lands  have  risen  above  and  do  not  submit  to  a cor- 
rupt system  which  paralyzes  the  best  that  is  in  them  and  their  chil- 
dren they  could  he  led  to  rise  in  effectual  protest  against  it. 

The  great  suffering  of  Armenians  and  other  Christians  is 
known  all  over  the  world,  but  there  is  no  one  to  bring  the  suffering 
of  millions  of  innocent  Mohammedans  in  the  hands  of  “divine”  and 
autocratic  rule  of  the  Sultan.  The  government  and  the  religious  au- 
thorities are  the  only  ones  responsible  for  the  continual  bloodshed  in 
the  East.  To  bring  peace  in  that  country  we  must  accept  one  of 
two  alternatives,  to  end  the  tyrannical  rule  of  Turkey  forever,  or  to 
direct  a real  and  vigorous  missionary  campaign  in  behalf  of  a re- 
ligious revival.  In  the  latter  alternative  a victory  is  sure  if  we  only 
can  get  some  missionaries  who  would  accept  the  challenge  and  take 
their  cross,  and  not  accept  any  salary;  as  the  Mohammedans  be- 
lieve that  these  missionaries  are  paid  by  some  company  in  the 
United  States  or  Europe,  therefore  they  don’t  believe  what  they 
teach.  We  thank  America  for  what  she  has  done  and  is  doing.  She 
has  sent  already  forty  or  more  millions  of  dollars  to  save  that  coun- 
try, but  that  is  only  a temporary  and  physical  salvation. 

I am  appealing  to  the  generosity  and  kindness  of  Ameri- 
cans to  help  these  suffering  people,  not  only  physically  but  morally. 
Can  America  sacrifice  twelve  of  her  men  to  go  as  missionaries  to 
that  country?  When  I say  missionaries  I mean  the  kind  of  mis- 
sionaries which  Orientals  believe  and  trust.  If  America  cannot  get 
some  of  her  own  men  to  this  field,  I am  sure  that  there  will  be  many 
Mohammedans  to  offer  themselves  if  they  are  given  some  opportun- 
ities to  be  educated  in  this  country  and  sent  as  missionaries. 


